Under the Lilacs Read Free

did look, and her eyes opened even wider — as well they might — for there, just where they first put it, was the lost
     cake, unhurt, unchanged, except that the big B had coasted a little further down the gingerbread hill.

Where They Found His Master
C HAPTER 2
    N either spoke for a minute, astonishment being too great for words; then, as by one impulse, both stole up and touched the
     cake with a timid finger, quite prepared to see it fly away in some mysterious and startling manner. It remained sitting tranquilly
     in the basket, however, and the children drew a long breath of relief, for, though they did not believe in fairies, the late
     performances did seem rather like witchcraft.
    “The dog didn’t eat it!”
    “Sally didn’t take it!”
    “How do you know?”
    “She
never would have put it back.”
    “Who did?”
    “Can’t tell, but I forgive ’em.”
    “What shall we do now?” asked Betty, feeling as if it would be very difficult to settle down to a quiet tea party after such
     unusual excitement.
    “Eat that cake up just as fast as ever we can,” and Bab divided the contested delicacy with one chop of the big knife, bound
     to make sure of her own share at all events.
    It did not take long, for they washed it down with sips of milk, and ate as fast as possible, glancing round all the while
     to see if the queer dog was coming again.
    “There! now I’d like to see anyone take
my
cake away,” said Bab, defiantly crunching her half of the piecrust B.
    “Or mine either,” coughed Betty, choking over a raisin that wouldn’t go down in a hurry.
    “We might as well clear up, and play there had been an earthquake,” suggested Bab, feeling that some such convulsion of Nature
     was needed to explain satisfactorily the demoralized condition of her family.
    “That will be splendid. My poor Linda was knocked right over on her nose. Darlin’ child, come to your mother and be fixed,”
     purred Betty, lifting the fallen idol from a grove of chickweed, and tenderly brushing the dirt from Belinda’s heroically
     smiling face.
    “She’ll have croup tonight as sure as the world. We’d better make up some squills out of this sugar and water,” said Bab,
     who dearly loved to dose the dollies all round.
    “P’r’aps she will, but you needn’t begin to sneeze yet awhile. I can sneeze for my own children, thank you, ma’am,” returned
     Betty, sharply, for her usually amiable spirit had been ruffled by the late occurrences.
    “I didn’t sneeze! I’ve got enough to do to talk and cry and cough for my own poor dears, without bothering about yours,” cried
     Bab, even more ruffled than her sister.
    “Then who did? I heard a real live sneeze just as plain as anything,” and Betty looked up to the green roof above her, as
     if the sound came from that direction.
    A yellow bird sat swinging and chirping on the tall lilac bush, but no other living thing was in sight.
    “Birds don’t sneeze, do they?” asked Betty, eyeing little Goldy suspiciously.
    “You goose! of course they don’t.”
    “Well, I should just like to know who is laughing and sneezing round here. Maybe it is the dog,” suggested Betty, looking
     relieved.
    “I never heard of a dog’s laughing, except Mother Hubbard’s. This is such a queer one, maybe he can, though. I wonder where
     he went to?” and Bab took a survey down both the side paths, quite longing to see the funny poodle again.
    “I know where
I’m
going to,” said Betty, piling the dolls into her apron with more haste than care. “I’m going right straight home to tell
     Ma all about it. I don’t like such actions, and I’m afraid to stay.”
    “I ain’t; but I guess it is going to rain, so I shall have to go anyway,” answered Bab, taking advantage of the black clouds
     rolling up the sky, for
she
scorned to own that she was afraid of anything.
    Clearing the table in a summary manner by catching up the four corners of the cloth, Bab put the rattling